Of Paths Chosen
by inner harmonies
Summary: Collection of Ren/Jeanne drabbles/ficlets. To be updated so very, very gradually.
1. Chapter 1

Heee~ Keeping up my reign of terror in the Mankin fandom. :D And well, with more Ren/Jeanne. I wrote some of these a while ago, but I'll be posting them in intervals, as opposed to all together. XD Some of these may have little bits of my headcanon, but that'll either be mentioned up here or in the notes section~

Oh! And before I forget, this was originally for the 100-theme challenge over at LJ. I'm still making some final edits before I post them to the comm, though. :D

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WARNING: SPOILERS FOR FINAL CHAPTER.  
Title/Theme: Analysis / He  
Genre: Gen with a hint of romance? Or romance with a hint of gen?  
Characters: Asakura Yoh, Tao Ren, Iron Maiden Jeanne (all in the future~)  
Notes: To make this work, let's say that Jeanne joined the Five Warriors later on during their reunion. And for the record, ages are as follows: Yoh is 21, Ren is 21, Jeanne is... well, 17 or 18. She wasn't given an official age.  
Summary: During the course of their reunion, Yoh pays close attention to how his friend treats his wife. Needless to say, he's a bit surprised.  
Word Count: 783

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There were many times when people would confront Tao Ren about his wife. They had questions, comments; some even dared to voice their criticisms. It was simple to say that most people were more than a little bit skeptical of their relationship. But what they seemed to neglect noticing was that Ren had the same skepticism himself. Asakura Yoh, however, knew his friend well enough to notice the hesitance and caution in his actions.

Questions were abundant concerning the two; especially so once the five warriors had their reunion. Horohoro especially couldn't seem to let go of the topic. And it was clear that Ren couldn't help but find a certain satisfaction from the Ainu's jealousy. Especially when the holy girl decided to join them (dressing in a more contemporary fashion in comparison to her previous flowing dress), it only added to the questions.

Yoh observed from his seat, watching the two interact. He continued to talk and mingle, but he spent most of his time noticing how the Chinese shaman treated his wife. Ren would occasionally watch Jeanne's movements with a distant interest, and that much wasn't a surprise. Plenty of people noticed the maiden's fluid movements and natural beauty, and the latter only enhanced as she grew older. But her manners were still impeccable and the grace with which she held herself remained, though the intimidation others felt from her presence had definitely been toned down. She had no reason to impress anymore, after all.

Judging from how Ren had grown accustomed to allowing Jeanne to draw closer to him, it was a good enough guess that they had been together for a while. (As if the silver haired child playing in the other room with Hana wasn't enough indication.) There was easiness in their relations, where they had no problem paying attention to other people, but remained constantly aware of each other.

Should Ren even reach for his drink, Jeanne's glance would flicker to him for an instant before returning her attention to the conversation. If Jeanne would look towards the other room where her son and the Asakura heir played, Ren didn't even need to glance her way and would instead adjust his arm's position to either move behind her or close the proximity between them. The simple gesture was enough for Jeanne to turn to him and smile.

Despite how comfortable Jeanne seemed though, and how happy she looked, it was easy enough to see the doubt in Ren. Golden eyes still held the same impassive trait, simply observing, and not making any comments, but on occasion there was a hint of doubt. And Yoh was rather sure that he had not seen any such doubt before Jeanne had arrived.

It had not been long ago that Yoh had informed Ren that one day, what remained of his heart of hatred would be purified with love. Falling in love with someone and having a family would be the cleansing method, he said.

Watching Ren interact with his wife now, Yoh was definitely sure that it worked. While the occasional curse and insulting remark would still make an appearance, there was no true malice for anyone. But it seemed that uncertainty had taken its place.

His movements were riddled with hesitation, as if he wasn't sure what to do in the situations that Jeanne placed him in. Even years into their marriage (or at least what Yoh guessed was years), she was testing his every barrier and rule. It was an unending exam to see whether he had really matured and begun to care for his fellow man. For if a man couldn't care for his wife, his beloved, who could he truly care for?

Was this hesitation a good kind of doubt then? Was it a sign that Ren cared enough for Jeanne to be careful about his movements and was compassionate to her emotions?

Yoh almost laughed aloud, and did his best to silently chuckle at the thought. He cared for his friend, but the idea of Ren being _that_ considerate was just funny. Like a bad romance novel. No matter how far Jeanne pushed Ren's limits, he would never turn into one of those husbands who couldn't let go of his wife's hand. Or one of those people who wrapped their arms around their loved one at every chance they got. That wasn't Ren's _style_, Yoh decided.

…

And yet, as Ren's glance would flicker towards Jeanne every time she laughed, or the way his eyes softened just the tiniest bit for a fraction of a millisecond whenever she directed a smile in his direction, Yoh thought it was better than any expectation he ever had.

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Simple to say, expect the next chapter to tell a little bit about Jeanne's part. :D Reviews are loved, criticism is warmly appreciated! I'll even take flames if you got 'em.


	2. Chapter 2

So you remember what I said before about 'posting these at intervals'? Consider that thrown out the window. I am so so sorry for that terrible lag that this collection of one-shots have been going. Not to mention my style of writing has long since progressed since I began this. My plan of action is to now post all my old pieces in quick succession now, so you don't have to be concerned about such lag anymore. Nonetheless, this chapter likely won't be what you're looking for if you want fluff. Read the Notes section for more details. Nonetheless, I love all the reviews I received and I hope that this'll make up for my lack of updates.

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Title: Distance  
Genre: Moderate drama? Jeanne gets a bit overdramatic.  
Characters: Iron Maiden Jeanne, Asakura Ren  
Notes: This... this is not fluff. This is before Ren and Jeanne form any type of connection, really. His regard for her is cold, and she is still naive and untaught in the ways of handling the Tao's temper and personality. Though the following chapters will hopefully make up for the lack of romance here. As for timeline, this is right after they make the plan for the Continent of Mu.  
Summary: She merely meant to thank him for accepting the partnership between Asakura Yoh's group and the X-LAWS. He took it the wrong way, and she followed after, wishing to make all well. However she was unaware that the Tao would not have that.  
Word Count: 906

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"You have nothing to thank me for."

His words echoed in the small hallway that this unplanned confrontation had begun to take place. For the most part, he was in the darkness. The only light available was coming from the doorway that she had come from. The irony of the contrast between them nearly amused him.

"I beg your pardon?" Her soft voice did not echo in the same fashion that his did; her words were filled with much less intensity. She glanced briefly at the still-open doorway. Could the others hear them?

By the way everything had quieted down so that only the voices of the two in the hall filled the silence; it could be guessed that the others in the separate room had quieted down for a reason.

But he seemed to pay no mind.

"You thanked me for cooperating with you when we go to the continent of Mu. There's nothing to thank me for. We're only allies."

She pouted in response, as childish as that may be. He used that word so fleetingly, and the 'only' placed in front of it emphasized how little he thought of that term. While she could admit that no, it did not have the same ring as 'friend' or even 'teammate', allies were all that she had during the course of the tournament.

"I apologize if my assumption is off, but you place far too little faith in that word. I am grateful that you are agreeing to work alongside me."

"Foolishness." The word rang in her ears far more than anything else that he said. For the first time, he turned and she could see those golden eyes. It was the same eyes that so many had seen before they met death by his hand.

"What?" Only after the word came out of her mouth, did she realize that it was only a faint whisper.

"Don't thank me for working alongside you. We have a common goal. You don't have any reason to be grateful; it would be giving the idea that this is something more than a simple partnership for the convenience. I take no compliment from your praise, just as I take no offense if you do not shed a tear at my death. Unless you're saying that you would?"

The reality of his words hit her, as it was all the truth. She had no response, and could only look away. His logic cut her, forcing her to comprehend that perhaps she had even insulted him. Though she meant well, he clearly did not perceive her thoughts as gratitude.

No, he saw it as an empty promise.

She took a tentative glance back at him, and could practically see the smugness in his eyes. He turned quickly, but made no intention to move. He waited for her response, although they both knew it would not come quickly.

But was that a bit of sadness she saw, before he broke their exchange? He spoke of death so lightly, she was unsure. She had heard of the Tao family, the unfortunate events that had fallen upon them, the painful measures they were taking to try to un-do history.

Could she comprehend that misery? Or would she be fooling herself for even thinking that she would be able to?

Whether or not there was any sign of faltering in his eyes, it would surely be conveyed in hers if he chose to look back. What answer was he looking for? Did he want consolation? Did he wish for an apology?

…. No. That wouldn't satisfy him. If she chose words that he wanted to hear, like she did with everyone else she had met, it would bring them no closer to a conclusion. It would only be more of a puzzle.

At the risk of sounding naïve, she instead opted to be honest. "How do you know?"

"Don't answer my question with a question."

Nearly flinching at his quick response, she amended her mistake, "I would shed a tear."

"A promise you probably can't keep," his voice replied with a scoff. It was more than obvious that he didn't take her response seriously.

"It's not a promise, it's a fact." She held her ground against him; she would not be bullied into changing her answer. Not when this was truly how she felt.

"No, it's not," he argued. He turned once more and rather than his previously distant but defiant look in his eyes, it was now a glare. His voice gave no hint to his anger. She couldn't help but be surprised at this turn of events.

"How can you be so sure?" she fought to keep her voice level. Not many had been so displeased with her before, or at the very least, not openly.

"You're simply being the martyr you were taught to be. You give me an answer that you think I will be pleased with," he finally snapped before walking away.

She fought against her instincts once more, biting back the urge she had to cry. His words were far from cruel, a simple assumption as it was. Although this assumption was far off-base, and it was exactly the thing that she was hoping to avoid. Despite her will, her eyes began to water nonetheless. Her intentions had been nothing but good, how could it possibly have ended up so... for the lack of a better word, wrong?


End file.
